Blog

Tina WhitfieldThis year at State of the Map, developers and users gathered at the United Nations in New York City to exchange information on the latest geospatial applications. Among the participants were 15 entrepreneurial-minded students from the Bronx High School of Science. The students were on hand to discuss their use cases detailing the application of satellite imagery, big data, and maps to solve problems challenging the commercial sector, particularly, real estate investment, infrastructure, and security. Bronx High School of Science Bright Idea Contest Winners So how did these innovators receive invitations to SOTMUS 15? They did it through the DigitalGlobe Bright Ideas competition. In this inaugural event, DigitalGlobe chose the Bronx High School of Science because of its reputation for attracting and graduating leaders in numerous science fields; eight alumni have gone on to win a Nobel Prize and six have won the Pulitzer Prize. Out of a field of more than 90 use cases, five were selected. And while the students may have been inspired by the challenges before them, I was inspired by their ability to identify novel business opportunities that could be addressed with satellite imagery and geospatial information. Chatting with Bronx HS Winners at SOTMUS The five use cases selected included concepts for what could become:
  • a mobile application that crowdsources community input to reduce crime;
  • a platform app for out-of-home advertising;
  • a sell- and buy-side app for commercial real estate and housing development investments;
  • an enterprise app for private investments in infrastructure; and
  • a mobile app that provides and manages drought information with geospatial data.
These use cases displayed the breadth and value of geospatial imagery to make or break the “consumability of apps,” a phrase that IBM describes as customers' end-to-end experience with technology solutions. The original ideas within these use cases are the intellectual property of these superb intellectual athletes, and their next step is to apply to for grants through the DigitalGlobe Foundation to further their ideas towards commercialization. Celebrating with the Bronx HS WinnersDigitalGlobe is excited to work with enterprise and independent developers building applications and platforms for mobile, social, local, and retail. We have discovered that when these apps provide highly enriched mapping experiences – for both business and personal use – they rank higher in adoption and loyalty. That’s why I often hear in the hall, “DigitalGlobe + Developers are Seeing a better world.™”​ Tina Whitfield is Director of Regional Marketing at DigitalGlobe.
Prev Post Back to Blog Next Post